Forgiveness In Early Adolescents:Comparision Of Implicit Personality Theories Intervention With Forgiveness Intervention

The purpose of this study is to find out the relationship between children’s implicit personality theory (IPT) and their forgiveness level to peer transgressor in early adolescent, and try to use IPT intervention helping them forgive a peer who hurt them deeply. In order to measure forgiveness more accurately, an implicit measure of forgiveness-Forgiveness Implicit Association Test (FIAT)-is developed and validated.This study first compared the conception of Kuan Shu and forgiveness, and found that even there are different ways to express forgiveness in different cultures, but the ability and disposition to forgive are same. Based on this review, sixteen attribute words of FIAT selected from various Chinese words which means Kuan Shu arid Bu Kuan Shu which are in existing forgiveness questionnaires and scales.In Study One, participants were188junior high school first-year students. FIAT, self-esteem I AT and related questionnaires include TRIM-12, ATF, TTF, CPAI-A, PA-NA, IRI-C were used. As predicted, FIAT was feasible and effective. In Study Two, participants were the same as Study One. IPT Questionaire was applied to differentiate incremental theorists, middle theorists, and entity theorists, and other questionnaires were applied too. As predicted, incremental theorists were more forgiving than entity theorists, so it’s feasible to promote entity theorists’forgiveness level by changing their IPT. In addition, compared with incremental theorist, entity theorists had some risk psychological attributes such as higher emotionality and defensiveness (Ah-Q Mentality), lower empathy, graciousness, harmony and family qrientation. In Study Three, participants were30entity theorists from Study Two which hurt deeply by peer. They randomly divided into three groups:one short-term forgiveness (SFT) experimental (n=10), one implicit personality theory intervention (ITI) experimental (n=10) and one control (n=10). One experimental group received eight half-hour sessions of SFT, and the other one experimental group received eight half-hour sessions of ITI, while control group was kept with no intervention. Data analysis showed only ITI significantly increased the situational forgiveness. The main conclusions are as follows:1. There was significant IAT effect of forgiveness, and there was no significant gender difference of IAT effect of forgiveness; FIAT revealed no correlations with Good Impression Scale; there was significant order effect of FIAT.2. FIAT showed positive correlations with self-esteem IAT and no positive correlations with any of the explicit forgiveness measures include situational forgiveness (TRIM-12), forgiveness attitude (ATF) and dispositional forgiveness (TTF).3. Compared with incremental theorists, entity theorists had higher avoidance and revenge, lower forgiveness attitude and dispositional forgiveness and no difference of implicit forgiveness.4. Compared with incremental theorists, entity theorists had lower empathy and no difference of offence expectation.5. Compared with incremental theorists, entity theorists had lower graciousness, harmony and family orientation and higher emotionality and defensiveness (Ah-Q Mentality).6. Compared with the control group, ITI experimental group had significant more incremental theorists after intervention.7. Compared with the control group and SFT experimental group, the score of avoidance dimension of situational forgiveness of ITI experimental group showed a significant reduction. However, the revenge dimension of situational forgiveness, implicit forgiveness, forgiveness attitude and dispositional forgiveness levels of all three group do not show a significant score reduction difference.8. The empathy, positive emotion, negative emotion and harmony levels of all three group do not show a significant score change difference.